Silver Saint continued her attacks. She shot Hao Yun with torrents of fire that moved so fast and with enough power to cleave a mountain in two, leaving a trail of fire across the newly bloomed mountain peak. She shot him with thousands of fireballs capable of burning a castle, and many other attacks that would make mortals think they could cause an apocalypse. Yet, this was not her full power. She was trying hard to conserve her qi and stamina, as well as trying not to damage the mountain too much, because she would need her strength when she arrived at the Wild Tide Region.

On the other hand, Hao Yun's attacks were also gigantic and terrifying. But most of the time, he limited himself to merely constructing things from his shadow. He, too, was not fighting all out, because his intention was to hinder her; hence, he was also conserving his qi and stamina.

After hours of fighting, Silver Saint decided that it could not continue. She began to weigh the consequences of telling him important information about Liu Xing.

It was a shame her ability could only be used when she was wholly focused. Sometimes it manifested as blurry dreams, sometimes as mere reverberating words in her head, sometimes only as a feeling. It was perhaps an apt restriction given by the heavens for this ability; otherwise, she would be undefeatable in battle.

After thinking for a moment, she decided to go ahead with it. Hao Yun was the son of one of the Immortals. He was privy to sensitive information, and she justified her decision with the fact that sooner or later, he would know this about Liu Xing. Perhaps if the kid knew the truth, he would let her pass.

"Kid," Silver Saint deflected a giant spear that could have drilled a hole into a mountain, but instead of countering, she flapped her wings and lowered her altitude. She needed to be convincing. "You need to let me go. Liu Xing is a saint candidate, and he needs to finish his trial to become a true saint."

"Yes," Hao Yun nodded, "you've said that."

Silver Saint schooled her emotions. "He needs guidance, because even among saints, he is... different." She paused for a moment and lowered herself even more. The trees, grass, and flowers below began to grow rapidly, and the flowers bloomed. "His path is unique. One that, if not guided correctly, could lead to suffering and many lost lives. His path is that of death and destruction."

When the heavens chose Liu Xing as a saint candidate, a ringing had reverberated through the threads of fate, the qi that suffused the world, the sun and moon, the void, the Ancient Beasts, and more. In this world, there were people capable of reading the meaning of this ringing. Each of the great sects had one who could read it, and depending on their proficiency, they might decipher it instantly or not. However, it was only a matter of time before they came across this specific aspect of Liu Xing. What would happen to Liu Xing if the heavens themselves said that he would tread a path of death and destruction? The normal thing to do would be to eliminate him.

So, she needed to meet Liu Xing and make sure the great sects were not too hasty in their decision against him. She needed to be there so that she could deter their actions, because demonic cultivator or not, he was still a saint candidate, and the repercussions of his death would complicate her situation. Also, a truly terrible premonition was settling in her heart. Usually, her ability did not work at all to pry into the fate of a saint or a candidate; however, she had successfully gotten a vision regarding Liu Xing. It was a vision of him crying, roaring, caked with mud, drenched with blood, holding two severed arms, and howling for vengeance. She was afraid. Afraid that if he was led astray, then his existence, even as a saint, would become a threat to the entire world.

"So, what I infer from your words is, you intend to take him under your wing?" Hao Yun said, and then he laughed with a childish smile. "I'm sorry, senior sister, but that does the opposite of what you want. I would be scolded by my father if I let you snatch Liu Xing away. He is an important asset, after all."

Silver Saint swallowed her annoyance. "I'm not intending to do that. While we saints work toward the same goal, we move separately. I have no intention of snatching him from your sect. I just want to make sure he will be safe, as well as making sure he will not choose the wrong path."

"Hmm," Hao Yun let go of his shadow blade. The moment he did so, the blade dissolved into nothingness, but then a black spear materialized in his hand. Hao Yun took a stance, pointing the tip of the spear toward Silver Saint. "No can do. My plan is on the right track right now. Allowing you to meet Liu Xing would screw so many things up. I'd rather continue my plan. Besides," the kid flashed a bright smile, "don't you find the situation interesting? Liu Xing will face not only those pesky demonic cultivators and that little worm, but also the experienced power of inner and outer disciples from other great sects. If he and the others survive this conflict, they will come out as rather sharp blades. I believe saints need to be strong, am I right? Moreover, he and the outer disciples from my sect are currently gathering birthday presents for me! So you don't need to bother them. Just sit here and play with me, senior!"

At that, Hao Yun threw his black spear. Its shiny surface gleamed under the brilliance of the white fire that surrounded Silver Saint. As she flapped her wings to dodge, she gritted her teeth. This was why she did not want to deal with the great sects. They had great power that could resist her, and they were also stubborn and troublesome.

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"Kid, if you keep doing this, I will have no choice but to kill you."

Hao Yun smirked. "You can try. I'm rather proud of my ability to stay alive."

Thus, the battle atop the mountain raged anew.

***

To the south of the mainland mass of the Dark Forest Continent, a flying ship was cruising through the sky at such a high speed that the sound rattled the ocean below. If Liu Xing saw it, he would say that the sound it made was akin to a fighter jet. But its shape was not that of a fighter jet, but a sailing ship. Its size was considered small—it could only hold around one hundred guests—but since it could be operated by a single person, it was enough for a small expedition. Not that cultivators would call this a small expedition. A total of one hundred disciples of the Boundless Ocean Sect, consisting of outer disciples, inner disciples, and two elders, would be a massive force. It was enough to flatten a dozen medium-sized kingdoms.

When people saw this flying ship, be it mortals or cultivators, they would point up and be amazed at how beautiful it was. It was made from ancient trees with a surface polished to the point that it could reflect light, making it shine in the sky. The ornamentation around the outer and bottom parts of the ship was intricate, accentuated by blue and golden colors, and its sails were the color of pure white, again accentuated by blue and golden colors. It was majestic, though it was not the best or most beautiful ship belonging to the Boundless Sea Sect.

The disciples of the Boundless Ocean Sect were aboard the ship silently. Some chose to cultivate, some chose to deepen their knowledge by reading books or scrolls, some chatted, some closed their eyes, and some drank and laughed as if they were in the middle of a vacation. Their expressions looked relaxed, but these were merely masks. Those who lay on their beds with their eyes closed would find their hearts thumping so frantically that they were unable to sleep. Those who read books or scrolls would find their eyes glazing over the words, reading the same passage several times. Those who were drinking and looked to be enjoying themselves had stifled laughs, and the atmosphere around them was tense. Among them, several younger disciples could not hide their anxiety and began to pace. The one who looked most anxious was an inner sect disciple. She was a woman with short hair, and she was pacing near the front of the ship. Nearby, another woman sat with her legs crossed, looking at her pacing friend with annoyance.

"Could you stop that?" she said. Her hair was white, but not the white of an elderly person. Rather, it was the color of clouds or smoke. Her eyes were almost entirely white, making her look like a blind person. However, she was not blind. She could see everything fine with her vision, albeit a little differently. "It would be wise to conserve your energy."

"How can you be so relaxed?" The pacing woman stopped and looked straight at her. A golden bobby pin adorned her short hair, and a blue flower tattoo graced her left cheek. "We're going to war! There's a high chance we're going to die!"

"Technically, we're not going to war. We're just... going to enter enemy territory, do something there, and go home." The woman with white eyes shrugged. "A quick adventure. Hardly a war."

"We're a force of a hundred cultivators. We're going straight into enemy territory, intending to secure something important. And we're doing it openly. We're trying to invade the Purple Moon Sect!"

"Well, that something is important enough for us to go to an enemy territory. So perhaps it would be bad news if we let the Purple Moon Sect control it." She sighed. "Relax. I doubt our elders would just let us die. While the Purple Moon Sect is technically an enemy, our relationship isn't actually that bad. Perhaps they'll let us be?"

"Don't try to be too positive. Sometimes you need to be more realistic. There's no way it will be that easy!"

"Listen," the girl with white eyes decided to stand up. "It was our choice to apply for this mission. While the elders didn't say that this mission would involve going into Purple Moon Sect territory, they did say it would be dangerous. You could say the elders tricked us, but don't you think this is a good opportunity? The contribution points from this mission are amazing. We'll be rich when we return. Moreover, there are also riches we can take while we're on the mission. All in all, it's just the same old routine. We're just betting our lives to get as many resources as possible."

The girl with the golden bobby pin was about to speak, but the girl with white eyes and white hair stopped her. "There's no use complaining. What you, me, and everyone here needs to do,"—at that, the people around began to look at her—"is to prepare ourselves. We are not going to die. We are going to plunder an important resource from the enemy. Isn't that amazing?" She flashed a wild smile. "This is a huge opportunity that could propel us to new heights."

The girl with the blue flower tattoo licked her lips. Her heart was full of anxiety, but what her friend said was true. This was a huge opportunity. And cultivators who missed an opportunity were usually the ones who were left behind. She wanted to advance further. However, the anxiety in her heart did not dissipate at all.

"Additionally, it seems we're not alone," the girl with white hair continued. "Aside from us, there will be the Burning World Sect, the Verdant Mountain Sect, and the Heavenly Thunder Sect. So, the Purple Moon Sect won't lash out at us only, but at the other great sects as well."

"You... how did you get that information?! And are you serious? So not only the Purple Moon Sect, we're also competing with other great sects?"

"Don't be afraid. We're from the Boundless Ocean Sect. Have some pride. We're the strongest, after all. When the fight inevitably breaks out, we will come out on top." The girl with white hair cycled her qi, and instantly, the air around her became heavy. Her white hair flapped as if a huge wind had suddenly appeared. "After all, the strongest inner disciple in our sect—the one who reached the Sun Collapsing realm at the ripe age of eighteen, me—is with you. You don't need to be afraid of dying. The only thing you need to be afraid of is how much of the enemy's blood will drench your clothes."

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